New Years Resolution

Now is the time when everyone is planning their New Years Resolutions. It can be anything from losing weight, getting in better shape or running a race to being more organized, not being late all the time or being happier in general. Whatever you may be wanting or wishing for, make a plan. Do something you know you can hit (ie not to win the million dollar lottery or jackpot). A lot of times we plan for things that are so outrageous, we get mad 2 weeks in when we haven't even started to see progress. That is a sure fire way to fail. Surround yourself with people who are doing what you want or who have the same goals. Get rid of the negativity or doubters. If you need a supporter let me know. I will be there.

As for my resolution... I am going to run my first ever half marathon. I started this journey last year and was derailed by an injury. This will be the year I complete that. I also am hoping to get back on the baby train. Hopefully with the house getting started in the spring and the move being completed our luck will turn around.

BRING ON 2017!!!

DF/GF Cream of Mushroom Soup

This is by far my most favorite recipe. Use this instead of store bought cream of mushroom soup. I personally think the hemp milk (cheapest at Cash and Carry) tastes better than almond. After making this, I will never go back to processed soup, even if my intolerance clears up. It is DELICIOUS!!!


http://www.godairyfree.org/recipes/dairy-free-condensed-cream-of-mushroom-soup

Back to the basics: going dairy free

Once you have cut out a whole food group it will either be easier to do a second because you know what resources to look at or it will throw you completely off your rocker. I lived off of dairy after going gluten free. It took a long time to convince me to stop eating it. My naturopath at the time suggested I give it a try because a lot of women with fertility issues have an underlying reaction to dairy that causes inflammation. Since it was a free treatment that would only take a little dedication, I thought I would give it a shot for a month or two. It takes three full weeks for dairy to be removed from your system so I was very careful not to cheat on anything. After being off of it for awhile, I introduced it back and started having digestive issues. That is where my dairy free living began.

Any milk or cheese product whether it is cow, sheep or goat is considered dairy. Some people are lactose intolerant, others are casein intolerant. I use protein shakes daily. One version of them are 99% lactose free, I had a mild reaction and was able to narrow it down to a casein reaction. Fortunately for me I can tolerate sheep and goat products.

The hardest part of not eating dairy is salad dressings and soups. Most of the recipes I love that has been passed down from family contains a creamed soup. I had to find alternatives. Luckily there are some great resources online and I found some delicious ones!! (recipes to come) Milk alternatives are hemp, coconut, soy or almond. Hemp is by far my favorite and does not give recipes any alternative taste.

First attempt IUI

One year ago today we were sitting in the fertility clinic. This was going to be our first attempt at an IUI (intrauterine insemination aka turkey baster method) non-drug assisted. Years of trying on our own, months of working with the specialist, acupuncturists and naturopaths had led to this moment. It is not a simple procedure. I was tracking my temperatures daily at 5:00 am to check for ovulation. I would then verify it by an ovulation test. I was eating as clean and organic as I could. I wasn't exercising more than 25 minutes a day or running more than one mile at a time. I practiced yoga and mediation. I did everything the right way. We did not tell anyone we were going because if it worked, I wanted it to be a surprise. I was cautiously excited and hopeful.

We get there. My husband does his part of the procedure. We have to wait an hour while it is processed. It is the week before Christmas, we have driven over an hour after working all day and my brain was a bit scattered. I normally ovulate on day 12 but with any reproductive disease that can change from month to month. When we went back to the office, the doctor started asking me a series of questions to be sure it was the right time. I had been in a rush and not really thinking that morning and so I told the Dr that it was day 7 or 9 of my cycle. He then told me I was not ovulating and he did not think it would be in my best interest to go further. He did not believe me that my ovulation test was a true positive. We ended up doing an ultrasound to see if I was right. I was told I was not, he would do the IUI if I wanted but it wasn't going to work and I would be out that much money. I was devastated. I sat in the room completely deflated. We chose not to go through with it since he said it wouldn't matter and I sobbed the entire ride home.

One week later I was sent for a blood test to verify what I was told. It turned out I was right. I did ovulate. We could have went through with it and it could have worked. I feel fortunate that I have not had a miscarriage, I have not had an emotional roller coaster like a lot of women have, I am fairly scientific and matter of fact about our situation but this was the most difficult day to date and I have not been back.

Curry is one of my favorite meals. It is gluten free and dairy free. It can be used with most ingredients and is oh so yummy. The problem is most recipes call for yellow curry paste. Have you ever tried to find yellow curry paste in the store? It does not exist! You can only get red and green premade. Not really sure why, but that is reality. 

After trying to make curry fried rice multiple times without it really getting the concentrated flavor you get in restaurant I did some research. Apparently curry powder does not make the same flavor as curry paste. Here is a delicious recipe for yellow curry paste that is super easy. I made a batch, then froze the rest in 1 tablespoon balls for easy cooking.  

http://pinchofyum.com/easy-homemade-yellow-curry-paste

Gluten Free: Where to begin

Being told you have to eliminate an entire food group can be super overwhelming. Gluten specifically can be hidden in so many foods. Luckily, since there was the gluten free craze there are a lot of alternatives. With any dietary restrictions, always read the labels! Any product that contains wheat, barley, rye, brewer's yeast, malt or oats contains gluten. Not all wheat free products are gluten free.

Here are some of my favorite alternatives:
` Udi's gluten free bread (cheapest at Costco). Tip: always toast gluten free bread or it gets soggy
` Barilla pasta. Holds together better than pure rice pasta.
` Coors peak beer
` Mission gluten free tortillas Tip: be sure to pan fry first or they will fall apart.
` Namaste organic gluten free flour (from Costco)
` Heinz ketchup

Be prepared to make your seasonings from scratch, there are a lot of hidden ingredients. (recipes to follow)

When shopping, stay away from processed food. The easiest way is the stay on the outside of the grocery store. Fresh food does not contain gluten.

That time of the month

As women every month our cycles come. Every month we are either excited to see it come or devastated that it has. This is something that is worse for us battling infertility. You get hopeful every. single. month. This could be it. I think I feel different. I was a little nauseous the other day. Am I a day late? What was that pain? Coworkers, family and friends, all those who mean well will make those comments... Do you think you are pregnant? Could this be the month? Are you late? Please dont. Please stop those comments. We are all ready thinking those thoughts and trying not to get our hopes us. This does not help! I cannot tell you how many times I have waited and waited and waited. Then given in and taken a pregnancy test just to be told, not this month. Try again. It hurts, but there is nothing we can do about it. This is our life. This is what we go through.

Cajun Coffee Shrimp

So this was a new recipe we tried also. I used regular sugar and lime instead of grapefruit because it is what I had. Also next time I will put half the amount of cayenne pepper in it. It was way spicy for me!! I think there needs to be some kind of sauce if going on rice, but would have been great over salad with thousand island dressing. It is safe for gluten and dairy intolerances!

://fitmencook.com/cajun-coffee-shrimp/

F.A.M.

One of the best gifts I was given was the advise to read a book on the Fertility Awareness Method. It is a way of learning your bodies signs on when you are most fertile. This can be to prevent pregnancy as much as to succeed with a pregnancy. It is so simple, just takes a little bit of work. One of the less invasive and easy aspects is temperature charting. You are able to establish your baseline temperature (prior to ovulation) and then when it increases you know you have ovulated. If it stays elevated for 18 days straight or more, you are pregnant. If it drops your cycle is starting over. I included a link to more information on FAM and how it works. This is just the tip of the iceberg. The book I read was almost 10 lbs... ok that may be a bit much, but still it was big.

http://www.fertaware.com/faqs/what-is-fertility-awareness/

Below is the downloadable/printable chart. If you are trying to get pregnant these are critical in keeping on track. Your fertility doctor will love you if you have these to bring. They tell so much about your cycle and can take a lot out of the guessing game.

http://www.tcoyf.com/downloadable-charts/

Pulled Pork Carnitas

Thought I would give something a little different a try. I had a few ingredients left over from last nights fish tacos so we had Pulled Pork Carnitas tonight. The original recipe from www.fitmencook.com is listed below. I always follow a recipe the first time I try it then tweak it from there. I thought this was a little salty. Next time I will leave out the salt. I used lime juice instead of grapefruit because I had it. Also, I thought it needed a kick. I will put some red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper in the slow cooker next time.

Ingredients Serves 6

Main ingredients

1½ lb lean pork sirloin

1 tbsp olive oil

Lime, juice only, to taste

Fresh cilantro (coriander), to taste

Seasonings

1 tbsp sea salt

Pepper, to taste

1 clove garlic, sliced thickly

½ tbsp ground cumin

½ tbsp fresh thyme, or ground thyme

½ cup red onion

1 red grapefruit, juice only

---

Steps

1. Add lean pork sirloin to a slow cooker and add the seasonings and fresh grapefruit juice. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours.

2. Once the cooking cycle has ended, remove the pork from the slow cooker and transfer it to a bowl. Easily shred the pork using forks.

3. Set a nonstick skillet on medium high heat and add olive oil. Once the skillet is hot, toss in the pulled pork and begin to cook. Allow the edges of the pork to get crispy but be careful not to let it burn. Stir and flip the pork in the skillet using a spatula or wooden spoon for about 6 to 8 minutes.

4. Once the edges are crispy, pour in the leftover broth from the slow cooker and reduce the heat of the skillet and stir the pork.

5. Remove the pork from the heat and garnish with fresh lime and cilantro to taste.

6. Enjoy the pulled pork anyway you want, but again, you can never go wrong with tacos! I used corn tortillas, fresh purple cabbage, pico de gallo and goat cheese crumble for my tacos.

---

Nutrition

Approximate macros for 1 of 6 servings (pulled pork only)

Calories 159

Carbs 1g

Fat 5g

Protein 26g

Sugar 0g

Fiber 0g

Fish tacos

One of the most delicious and truly quick and easy meals I make is fish tacos. They are so healthy if prepared properly and full of flavor. It is super quick for busy weeknight options. I love it with coleslaw as a side, sometimes I put the dressing on my tacos... you can never have too much vinegar!

Ingredients:
Fish, I prefer white
Tortillas, if using gluten free be sure to pan fry first
Cabbage
Avocado
Cilantro
Lime for dressing


Coleslaw (I always make from scratch)"
cabbage
carrots
1 cup mayo
1/3 cup vinegar
1/3 cup sugar

Acupuncture

I have started acupuncture a few times before but was never in the place to continue it on a regular basis. I have recently started back, once a month, and I am hopeful. There is a lot of research on how acupuncture can help fertility. It is also recommended during fertility treatments to increase the likelihood of conceiving and holding the pregnancy. The article below is a very simplistic article on how acupuncture works. I find it very relaxing and soothing. They do not hurt, however some places can be uncomfortable. The practitioner I am currently seeing is the first one I have ever noticed a difference after the first visit. We will see what happens in the next couple of months.


http://americanpregnancy.org/infertility/acupuncture/

Fajitas

One of my favorite go to dinners is elk steak fajitas. It can easily be made dairy and gluten free. I use Mission tortillas (GF of course). Here is the key factor... pan fry these first! If you do not, they will get soggy and just fall apart. Seasonings are also something that anyone who is battling food allergies or intolerances needs to be aware of. Many times "natural flavors" or ingredients that are not listed, but lumped into a category contain these items. I make my own seasonings and do large batches so I can use them multiple times before remixing. Below is the recipe for my fajita seasoning:

1 T cornstarch
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp chicken bouillon
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp cumin

Moo no more

I am finding out that there are a lot of things we may be reactive to nutritionally that we are not aware of. When seeing my naturopath for fertility consultations she suggested that many women who cut out dairy end up conceiving because they were not aware of a reaction. At that time I had been trying for so long, doing everything right, none of my tests came back conclusive or correlating to anything else I was open to any idea. I thought what the heck, why not give it a shot?!

I lived on cheese, I love sour cream, milk and cookies is still mouth watering to me. It was not easy. But I chose to try it and see if I could save money with further treatments and some less heartache associated with it all. Once I got the hang of what I could and could not eat it was not too bad of a deal. What I found was once I added dairy back in I had problems. The digestive/GI issues are not the greatest. Fortunately for me I was able to isolate that it is the casein protein and not just lactose that I react to so I can really narrow in what I can and cannot eat. I can reduce the effect if I use probiotics and digestive enzymes... however a lot of times this creates inflammation and that is not something you want to take over your body. I have a lot of practices to reduce inflammation naturally so adding it back is not what I want to do. I am hopeful one day that I may be able to have sour cream or milk again (just for cookie dipping) but for now I am learning lots about alternative foods and recipes. In the end I know it will be worth it.

Dinner Salad Idea

This is such a yummy salad. Mixed greens and spinach. Cucumber. Grape tomatoes. Goat cheese (this is ok for me to eat, not everyone who is dairy intolerant can). Black forest ham. Hard boiled egg. Carrots. Dressing: Brianna's Honey Mustard. 

Avoid stress or get therapy?

I like to work out. It feels good to break a sweat and work muscles that do not get attention at other times of the day. When dealing with infertility, however, even good exercise can be viewed as
harmful. A few years ago I was starting to get into running as well as cross training. My doctor suggested that I not run over one mile a day because even good stress was still stress and the body could see it as counterproductive. For a long time I took his advise. Once we moved to an area that had better weather (and with the slight nudging of a friend) I decided I had enough of the "take it easy" plan. There is only so long you can do everything properly without reward. I began training for my first half marathon. This is 13.1 miles in length. I began to realize how good it felt to run and be in my own zone. After a couple months though I strained my quadricep muscle and had to stop. Even though I was following a very good training schedule, I was pushing my limits because I felt so good. I have just begun to start back in, very slowly, after two months of nothing. I had almost forgotten how therapeutic it is and how a good sweat feels. Gunner has been joining me on these warm up runs and is enjoying every moment of it too.

How to protect yourself from harm by an infertile woman

"Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always."

I meet new people all the time. The question always comes up if I have kids or not. It is a pleasantry in conversation that everyone uses to get to know others. When you are battling infertility, this question is one you always try to avoid and never quite know how to answer. For a long time I would avoid answering or try to make a joke out of it to spare that person from being uncomfortable with my response or me breaking down in tears. How do you really expect anyone to respond to "No we do not have kids, I battle a condition and have been diagnosed infertile"? Being more open about my struggle has made it much easier, but there is always a little sting when I have to go through the whole explanation of why.

One common response to break the uneasiness is always suggesting adoption. I know this is an option, but I want to know what pregnancy is like. What does it feel like to grow a human? To have that little wiggle or kick in the ribs. To see your belly growing and not because you ate too much chocolate cake. To have something that is the perfect combination of you and your husband. While the possibility of adoption is always in the back of my mind, it is definitely not my first choice and I am not ready to pursue that. 

Another common one I get is "Don't try so hard" or "stop worrying about it, it will happen" or "as soon as you stop thinking about it, that is when it will happen". First off, thanks for the nice words. However, one does not ever really stop thinking about it. When it will be your first child, there is no toddler to distract you. Even if we are not currently trying (by medical standards) the thought never leaves my mind. Every month at "that time" you always wonder if that will be the one, just to be thrown back into reality that you still have not been granted the privilege of a child. The thought, the hope, the slight disappointment and heartache is always somewhere just under the surface. 

Pregnancy announcements: this always leads me to mixed emotions of excitement and jealousy. While I am happy and excited for friends, there is a nagging feeling of envy. Why do they get that joy? What about me? When is my turn? For a long time I would hide those posts on Facebook because it would hurt too much to see them. It is embarrassing to admit that you are not happy for other people when that is the one joy you cannot wait to experience yourself. 

I guess the message I am hoping to convey in this post is just be compassionate. We do not need anyone to offer advise or opinions, we get it is an uncomfortable conversation. A simple "I am sorry" is sufficient. Emotions are a roller coaster ride, especially when there are hormones involved with treatments, so protect yourself from potential danger and just be our friend. 

Italian sausage and kale soup

Dinner tonight was a gluten and dairy free masterpiece of yumminess! 

Ingredients:

1 pack of Italian Sausage

3 baking potatoes or 6 red potatoes

1 bunch of kale

2 boxes organic low sodium chicken broth

Seasonings:

red pepper flakes, a couple shakes or more depending on how spicy you want it

garlic powder

rosemary

marjoram

black pepper

salt, to taste

Boil peeled and diced potatoes in chicken broth, add seasonings. 

Cook Italian sausage while the potatoes boil. Once potatoes are soft, add sausage to pot. 

Add chopped kale to rest of soup and let simmer. Add to taste. 

** I do not measure out seasonings, I just dump them in until I like the flavor. Start small (like 1/4 tsp) and add until you like it **

Eat to Live

My life changed after reading the book Eat to Live by Joel Furhman. For as long as I could remember I had always suffered from hypoglycemic, or low blood sugar, attacks. These would be awful at times! It would start in my arms, feeling weak and shaky from the inside out, then progress into visibly trembling. I would get really hot and clammy, but look white as a ghost. I would be very weak some times to the point it would be hard to get food in my mouth. At the same time, I could not shove enough in or fast enough. There would be many times I felt so weak I was unsure I would even be able to walk two blocks home from sports practice. Doctors always said to drink orange juice and eat peanuts, but come on, that takes too long to hit the bloodstream. I would, in my not so healthy habits, chug a Mt. Dew as fast as I could. It was an instant fix and it worked well. I had three blood tests to see if I was diabetic and all of them came back normal, but these attacks would still happen. It was always frustrating not knowing when it would hit or why it was happening.

My sister suggested I read this book to learn more about nutrition and get some healthy recipe ideas. It was more a guide to plant-based living (not that I am a vegetarian... far from it) and basic nutrition. There it was, the answer to so many questions I had for so long... he said many people who have hypoglycemic attacks are actually having a toxic reaction to gluten! GLUTEN!! That was the answer to all these years of suffering! I started to greatly reduce my consumption of gluten, but since I was not allergic (I was tested, no celiac here) I would still eat it occasionally.

A year or so later, about the same time I was beginning to look into having the endometriosis diagnosed, I also noticed a random feeling in my throat. It would feel like it was constricting and I was going to choke but I never actually did. I had an endoscopy performed, it came back normal. That is when I looked into the food allergy test I had completed and realized I had a positive reaction for all ingredients relating to gluten; gluten, wheat, rye, barley, brewers yeast, bakers yeast. Somehow I over looked this or chose not to pay attention to it. This was my magic solution! My hypoglycemic attacks ceased to occur and the feeling in my throat completely went away. It has been a little over 3 years now since all of this took place. There has been quite the learning curve but I feel so much better not eating it. When I try to cheat, that little feeling in my throat returns with the second or third bite to remind me to stop. I am very thankful for this book and my sister for recommending I read it.

Getting the endometriosis diagnosis

Endometriosis is a condition that I believe a lot of women suffer from without knowing. The symptoms can be so random that doctors have a hard time putting all the pieces together. For many women it can be painfully debilitating. It took me a few years once I knew something was going on, many doctors, getting a clue from my aunt and finally research on the internet to come up with this idea. 

Initially, I had started having a lot of discomfort after eating, mainly breakfast, but it could happen at any time of the day really. Usually it would be high in the stomach, right under the sternum and very painful. I would have to stop moving and wait for it to subside. I thought making a food journal would finally lead me somewhere or give me a clue, but unfortunately nothing correlated. The first specialist I had seen, a gastroenterologist, wrote me a prescription for a pill to take every time I ate and said I was too young to have anything wrong with me. Now, I was in my early 20's, I do not take medicine unless absolutely necessary and I knew there was something going on! Slowly I had become aware of other issues as well... my lower back was always a little sore, there was a tingling/needle poke feeling in my lower abdomen constantly, occasionally I would get sharp stabbing pains, bowel movements could be excruciatingly painful. These are the things no one ever talks about, they are kind of embarrassing and gross. When I googled symptoms of endometriosis, it was my life in a list. I was fortunate to have an OB/GYN take me seriously and recommend a laparoscopy (the only way to truly diagnose endo is to physically look at it). 

My surgeon told me as soon as he opened me up and saw the pool of blood in my abdominal cavity that he knew I had it. For most women, when you ovulate your body releases cells and then reabsorbs them. In us with endometriosis, those cells stick and begin to grow. So every month when our cycles come, those cells bleed like they would if they were still inside the uterus. At the time of my first surgery, the entire left side of my pelvic wall was covered, most of the right, there were spots on the back of my uterus as well as on my right ovary. He was a little surprised with the low levels of pain that I had relative to the amounts of growths (this is also typical). Following surgery he suggested I start Lupron injections to put me into menopause. It was the only thing they know 100% works to keep it from coming back. At 25 years old, I refused. There was no way I was going through all that twice in my life. More importantly, there was no guarantee my body would kick back in and I would be able to have kids in the future. So I started a 2 1/2 year regimen of continual birth control. Unfortunately I felt terrible being on the hormones and it also did not work. My symptoms returned within one month of the first procedure. This is what led me to explore more holistic and natural treatments and lifestyles. A lot of my dietary adjustments have helped this along with other parts of my life. Below is a more comprehensive list of symptoms people can suffer from with endometriosis... 

COMMON SYMPTOMS:

• pain before and during periods
• excessive bleeding
• fatigue
• painful urination during periods
• painful bowel movements during urination
• Very painful cramps
• Back pain during periods
• Pain with sex
• infertility
• Gastrointestinal upsets: diarrhea, constipation, nausea, bloating 

LESS COMMON, BUT RELATED SYMPTOMS:

• allergies
• chemical sensitivities
• yeast infections

Hello.

My name is Teri Pettit. I am 31 years old, happily married to Kyle, and mom to a sweet 8 year old golden retriever, named Gunner. Life for me has drastically changed over the last several years due in part to several factors. I was diagnosed with endometriosis on January 6, 2012. I learned I was gluten intolerant in 2013, in 2014 we started trying for a family, in the beginning of 2015 I was diagnosed infertile and later that same year became dairy intolerant. Speaking about my experiences has proven to be somewhat therapeutic.

Female reproductive diseases and infertility have been largely considerably taboo subjects to speak about. It can carry a lot of baggage, emotion, heartache, judgement, and shame for women and families it touches. I have been very fortunate to have had a lot of women reach out to me and share their experiences with infertility. It is much more common than I ever imagined. I am not in anyway saying that my story is more important than anyone else's, but I am willing to share it in hopes that it can help someone else who is being impacted.

These days everyone knows someone with a food intolerance, but a lot of people do not know where to start when combining multiple issues. I have found a lot of tricks and life hacks to make day to day living easier without gluten or dairy. There are of course some times when we just have to suck it up and come to grips with food being difficult and more work.  Such is life and most days it is worth the extra hassle. Living gluten and dairy free is something I have helped many people with and believe I can reach more people using this format.

Welcome to my journey. I hope I can help, inspire, support or guide anyone who comes along and needs a little encouragement or extra comfort.